- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
drivingmissdaisy said:There was talk among people on this board about whether Alissa should be taken off the team, so even though many of us didn't know there was an injury we did see the poor performances coming....I think the USFSA needs to give itself more options in the future to change up the World team given what has happened the past two years because it cannot rely solely on the athlete's decision whether or not to compete. Alissa's performance at Nationals was mediocre enough that if I were the USFSA I'd probably want one more data point (such as 4CC) before placing her on the team.
To my way of thinking there is a fundamental question that needs to be answered first.
Is a trip to Worlds something the the athlete earns or is it something that the USFSA bestows?
I would have no problem with having more than just U.S. Nationals determine the National team (although this is a paradigm that worked well for a long time). But I would argue with ardor that whatever system is devised the USFSA must announce clearly and unequivocally before the beginning of the season: "If you do this, this, and this, then you will go to Worlds."
The alternative is, "if you do this, this, and this, then we will convene a committee and talk it over."
To me, this is contrary to the whole idea of sport. If there is something to be won, win it on the field of play. (JMO. )